Indian Art: A History of Indian Art from the Earliest Times up to the Third Century A.D. c13.s3.31

c13.s3.31

At Mathura a stage had been reached when Buddhist figures were welcomed on the railing pillars. For example, we find the figures of standing Indra with his projecting head-dress and folded hands; the Jātaka of Ṛiṣya-śṛiṅga (J 7) a faun-like figure of a well-built young man with a horny projection on the head; but more specially figures of the Bodhisattva standing under a Pīpal tree or with a scalloped halo (hasti-nakha-prabhā-maṇḍala) (No. J 18), Buddha standing in abhaya-mudrā under a Pīpal with halo round the head (194). Working in the older tradition the artist could not ignore the Buddhist symbol and we actually find the Dharmachakra (438) and Bodhi-maṇḍa (464). One cannot miss the importance given to Yakshas and grotesque figures which have now been allotted a secondary place, as vehicles of beautiful young female figures but there are some scenes in which we find kneeling bearded Yakshas (205) and a corner railing with a couple of dwarfs. [Fig. 138].